


We're All Vagabonds

by Arch_ie



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Fake AH Crew, Getting Together, M/M, Minor Character Death, Violence, mentioned Homophobia, probably more but I have no idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 11:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14135142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arch_ie/pseuds/Arch_ie
Summary: A series of conversations between two Southern runaway criminals.





	We're All Vagabonds

**Author's Note:**

> **Trigger Warnings:** Implied discussed suicide, discussed murder relating to homophobia.

The first time, they were in a bar after a successful job. Ryan didn’t usually go out with the rest of the crew after jobs – not so much because he didn’t drink, but more so that he didn’t want to be recognized. He wore his skull mask to hide his identity and going out mask-less with the rest of the crew after a job was almost asking for someone to connect the pieces.

He did occasionally go, though – usually when some of the Support Team were going as well. This time it was just the main crew, but it was one of the bars in their territory and it wasn’t very busy at the time, so Ryan figured he was safe.

He was sitting at a table covered in half-filled and knocked over glasses and bottles of beer, courtesy of the Jeremy and Gavin. Michael and Jack were drinking, too, but they at least had the courtesy to keep things clean.

Geoff was sitting next to Ryan, and both of them were sipping at Diet Cokes as the Lads and Jack messed around by the bar. They were being significantly disruptive, but neither Ryan nor Geoff were willing to try to settle them down – they were well aware it would just make things worse. Even the bartender had given up trying.

Geoff and Ryan had been sitting in mostly silence since the others left the table. Occasionally one or both of them would chuckle at or comment on the others’ antics, but neither tried to start an actual conversation.

“How’d you end up here?” Geoff asked after a period of time, and Ryan’s head jerked towards him.

“What?” Ryan asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“How’d you end up here? In Los Santos,” Geoff clarified, “I mean… You’ve said you’re from Georgia, and no one gets into the life of crime without a reason – especially not mercenary work.”

Ryan hesitated, his eyes flicking downwards as he licked his lips, debating what to say. He could tell the truth, but there wasn’t really anyone who knew it. Geoff was his boss, though, and Ryan liked to think they were at least somewhat close.

 _Not as close as you want to be_ , something whispered in the back of his mind, but he pushed the thought away and forced himself to speak.

“I ran away,” Ryan said slowly, staring resolutely at the Lads taking shots and Jack trying to stop them from ordering more. Geoff let out a quiet chuckle.

“That’s funny,” Geoff said, and Ryan tensed up, not liking the amusement in his tone, but relaxed when Geoff continued, “I ran away, too.”

Ryan flicked his eyes back up to meet Geoff’s and found the older man smiling softly at him. He swallowed thickly before speaking again.

“Why’d you run away? Was it… family problems?” Ryan asked carefully, and Geoff let out a humourless chuckle.

“Nah,” Geoff said, waving a hand, “I mean, sure, my extended family sucked and were close-minded assholes, but we didn’t see them that much, anyway. My parents were great, but Alabama… It just has a way of sucking the life out of you.” Ryan nodded, because he was from the South, too, and he understood. Geoff flashed him a grin, “What about you?”

“My family was alright,” Ryan said carefully, “I mean, my parents tried. I was the oldest, and my mom spent a lot of time with my step-siblings because they were younger and she wanted them to like her. She didn’t _ignore_ me, but I was a teenager and going through problems that she didn’t know how to deal with. She tried, I realize that now, but at the time… I felt alone, and like I could never be who I was if I stayed – you know how the South is. So, I left.”

Geoff fiddled with his glass for a minute before wiping the condensation he had gotten on his hands on his pants and meeting Ryan’s eyes.

“Are you-” Geoff cut himself off, seeming to be struggling to find the words, “Was there a specific thing that you couldn’t be?” Ryan stared at Geoff blankly for a moment, and the other man’s hands started fidgeting even more. “I mean, no judgement, I just…” Geoff voice trailed off and he looked away, and Ryan felt the realization of what Geoff was asking dawn on him.

“I’m bi,” Ryan said, the confidence in his voice hiding the wave of nervousness he felt. Geoff’s eyes snapped up to meet his again, and Ryan forced himself to keep his face blank and not let his anxiety show, “Is that a problem?”

“I- Christ, no,” Geoff said quickly, “Of course it’s not a problem, I-” Geoff cut himself off again, chewing on his lip, “I don’t have a problem with it, and no one else in the crew will either, if you want to tell them. I won’t mention it to anyone else if you don’t want me to, and it won’t change anything. You’re still a scary motherfucker.”

“Alright,” Ryan said, relief that he couldn’t hold back flooding his tone as he relaxed again, “Thanks, Geoff.”

“No problem, buddy.” 

 

* * *

 

The second time they were both stretched across opposite ends of the couch, their legs tangled together in the middle. They were waiting for the rest of the crew to return from a job, but it was getting into the early hours of the morning and they were both tired from their own job that they had done that afternoon.

“Do you ever think about going back?” Geoff asked quietly, jerking Ryan out of the half-asleep state he was in. The lights were off, and the TV had turned off at some point as well, so the room was too dark for him to make out anything more than Geoff’s vague shape in the darkness.

“What?” Ryan asked, his voice rough with sleep, and he cleared his throat, shifting so he was in a better position for a conversation.

“You said you ran away – have you ever thought of going back?” Geoff clarified, something in his voice that Ryan couldn’t quite place.

“To Georgia? No.” Ryan said firmly, and felt Geoff relax. He wondered why Geoff had been so worried about his answer, but shoved the curiosity down as he continued, “Sometimes I want to call my mom, though. Reconnect, or whatever. I don’t want to go back, but… It’d be nice to talk to my family again.”

“We’re your family,” Geoff replied immediately, confidently, and Ryan smiled.

“Yeah,” Ryan murmured softly in agreement, “What about you, then?”

“What?” Geoff asked, sounding startled.

“You ran away, too – ever think about going back?” Ryan asked, and wished he could see Geoff’s face.

“I’ve called my parents,” Geoff admitted quietly, a sad tinge to his voice, “But as soon as I hear their voices I just… I panic and hang up.”

“Why?” Ryan asked, his voice barely a whisper. Quiet enough that Geoff could pretend not to have heard.

“I don’t know,” Geoff voice sounded broken now, and Ryan wished he hadn’t pried, “My face is all over the country. I’m the guy that pretty much runs the majority of Los Santos. You wear a mask – your family would be none the wiser if you called, but me… My parents have to have heard by now. My last name is different than it used to be, because I changed it as soon as I left Alabama, but… Everyone always told me I looked a lot like my family. Said we had real distinctive eyes or whatever. I kept my first name the same. Even if the government doesn’t know I’m their kid, they have to know by now.”

“Did your parents love you?” Ryan asked, and heard Geoff let out a huff of breath, but without seeing his face he wasn’t quite sure what it meant.

“Yeah,” Geoff answered, his voice soft, “They did. Supported me through everything. They’re my only regret about leaving.”

“I doubt that that’s changed, then,” Ryan said, carefully, “Even if they hate what you do, you’re still their son. I can’t promise that they still love you, because I obviously can’t know if that’s true, but… I’m sure they’d love to hear their son’s voice again. Even just for a few minutes.”

“Do y-” Whatever Geoff was about to say was immediately cut off by the penthouse door slamming open and the rest of the crew spilling in.

Geoff scrambled to his feet to debrief with them, but Ryan stayed where he was. When he felt Geoff reach down and squeeze his shoulder as he walked by, he didn’t say anything, but it felt like his heart had leapt into his throat. He forced himself not to dwell on it.

 

* * *

 

The third time they weren’t alone – Jack was with them, and they were on a 12-hour drive on the mainland to deal with some issues with a supplier. Ryan – who had gotten _maybe_ two hours of sleep the night before – had his head pressed against the window in the back seat, hoping to get some sleep while Jack and Geoff talked in the front.

“Ryan, you’re from Georgia?” Jack asked, quickly glancing back at the man in question through the rear-view mirror before returning her eyes to the road.

“Yeah,” Ryan croaked, sitting up properly, “Why do you ask?”

“Geoff mentioned it,” Jack said with a shrug, “It’s weird – all the Gents are from the South.”

Ryan let out a hum before replying, “Where are you from, then?”

“Texas,” Jack replied, pride for her home-state clear in her voice.

“How’d you end up in Los Santos?” Ryan asked curiously, feeling more awake.

“My family was into some shady dealings back in Texas, and I kind of picked up on things from them. One day, Geoff showed up and gave me an offer to do some freelance work for Rooster Teeth. I agreed, though my family wasn’t too happy about it when they heard. One thing led to another, and next thing I knew Geoff and I were branching off from Rooster Teeth and planning to take Los Santos by storm.”

“Huh,” Ryan said, “I never knew that. What made you guys want to branch off?”

“Rooster Teeth was getting bigger,” Geoff took over for Jack, “Which wasn’t a problem – the opposite of a problem, really. It wasn’t really what I wanted, though. It wasn’t just me, Gus, Burnie, Matt, and Joel anymore. It was more and more people, and Gus was focusing on one group, while Burnie and Matt focused on another, and Joel was taking people under his wing, dealing with money and shit. I wanted something different – a group that stuck together, a family. No one at Rooster Teeth took it personally, obviously. They were actually happy that someone was going over to what is basically crime central. We’ve kept in contact and have frequent business dealings, as you know.”

Ryan nodded, his curiosity satisfied, but Geoff was fidgeting again in the passenger seat. Ryan waited patiently until he spoke.

“You, uh, you like it here, right? With the crew?” Geoff finally asked, and Ryan saw Jack shoot the man in the passenger seat a sharp look.

“Yes?” Ryan replied, cautiously, “Why?”

“I just- you don’t plan on leaving, right? I know you’ve been with us for a long time now, but, well, you aren’t called the Vagabond for nothing, right?” Geoff sounded nervous, his leg shaking and fingers twitching as he stared resolutely out the windshield.

“They also call me the Mad Mercenary,” Ryan said carefully, trying to articulate his thoughts properly, “And Jack’s called Beardo, even though she doesn’t have a beard anymore. We all know that Gavin isn’t the ‘Golden Boy’ at home. Names that other people come up with don’t depict us perfectly. They don’t know us, they only know what we show them.”

Geoff was quiet for a moment, but he had stopped fidgeting and seemed more relaxed, so Ryan figured he had conveyed his message well enough.

“You should get some sleep,” Geoff said after a few minutes of silence, his voice soft, almost concerned, “I know you didn’t get much last night. Jack and I will be quiet, we’ll just listen to some music. You can lie down or whatever, Jack’ll be careful. Just get some rest, buddy.”

Ryan bit his lip as Geoff began fiddling with the radio, but ultimately decided to unbuckle his seatbelt and stretch out across the back seat of the car. Hopefully, Jack would actually try to be careful. She was a good driver, though, and Ryan trusted her. With her and Geoff in the front seat, it wasn’t hard for him to drift off. 

 

* * *

 

The fourth time scared the shit out of Ryan. He had been woken up late at night by the sound of his bedroom door opening, and had scrambled for the knife under his pillow, lifting his head to see who it was. Luckily, in his half-asleep state, he realized it was Geoff and not an intruder and was able to stop himself before he imbedded a knife in his boss’ skull.

“Geoff?” Ryan asked, fully awake now, as he slowly sat up.

When Geoff didn’t reply, Ryan frowned and narrowed his eyes, and it was then that he noticed the older man was shaking violently, still in the doorway of Ryan’s room. Ryan was off the bed in a millisecond, moving closer to see what was wrong with Geoff.

“Geoff, what happened?” Ryan asked, flicking on the lights and blanching when he noticed the blood covering Geoff’s arm and hands, smudged across his face and in his hair. He was wearing black clothes, but Ryan was willing to bet there was blood on them, too.

Geoff just shook his head, still shaking, and Ryan bit his lip.

“I’m going to grab your shoulders now,” Ryan said, cautiously, before slowly resting his hands on each of Geoff’s shoulders. He used the grip on his shoulders to turn him around and lead him back out the door and towards the bathroom next door. He debated going to Geoff’s own en suite, but didn’t want to make the trip. He didn’t really care much, anyway – everyone in the crew had seen way too much blood in their life to be freaked out at the sight of it if any stained the bathroom.

Ryan let go of Geoff once they were in the bathroom, keeping the door open as he turned on the light, then quickly pulled the shower curtain back and started the shower. Once the shower was going, Ryan took his shirt off and put his hands back on Geoff’s shoulders and encouraged the man into the tub. Once he was in, Ryan coaxed him into lying down, letting him rest his head on the wall at back of the tub. He angled the showerhead more towards the older man before quietly telling Geoff that he was going to be back in a minute.

He slipped out of the bathroom and into his own room, rummaging through his drawers until he found a shirt and sweatpants Geoff could wear – he didn’t want to rummage through the older man’s room, not when he was in the state he was.

He quickly made his way back into the bathroom, grabbing a towel and a washcloth from the closet by the door. He closed and locked the door and put the towel and clothes on the counter before making his way back to Geoff.

The older man had stopped shivering, but was staring blankly at the wall opposite to him, and Ryan frowned, kneeling down next to the tub.

“Are you hurt?” Ryan asked softly, eyes scanning his body, looking for any injuries. Geoff shook his head.

“Okay,” Ryan whispered, letting out a breath of relief. He wouldn’t ask about what happened, not yet, “Can you take your clothes off?” The older man’s clothes were stuck to his skin, soaked with the water from the shower. Ryan tried not to look at the blood running down the drain.

Geoff nodded, struggling to take off his shirt for a minute, but was eventually able to do it. Ryan didn’t want to take the other man’s clothes off while he was in the state he was in, but when his shaking hands struggled to undo his belt for over a minute, Ryan stepped in. He gently brushed Geoff’s hands away before undoing the older man’s belt easily, sliding it off with little difficulty.

Once he had the belt off, Ryan looked questioningly at Geoff, who hadn’t made a move to take off his pants. The older man was still staring blankly at the wall. Ryan bit his lip before slowly reaching out again, his hands hovering over the button as he shot Geoff a questioning look.

Geoff must have seen, or at least realized what he was doing, and gave a small nod, his eyes briefly flicking over to Ryan’s face. Ryan let out a sigh of relief, making quick work of the button and zipper and pulling down the older man’s pants awkwardly. He decided against taking off the older man’s underwear and piled all of the wet clothes next to the tub, planning on dealing with it later.

Ryan slowly reached out with the washcloth, grabbing Geoff’s left arm and rubbing away the remaining blood before moving on to the left. Geoff watched the blood go down the drain until Ryan moved him so his head was tilted up under the stream of water. He gently ran his fingers through the older man’s hair, coaxing out any remaining blood. Geoff’s eyes fluttered shut and his shoulders finally relaxed as Ryan ran his fingers through his hair, so the younger man continued doing it even after all the blood was out. There hadn’t been a lot of blood, all things considered, and it looked like the blood that had been on his face and in his hair was most likely from him running his bloodied hands through his hair.

Ryan slowly lowered Geoff back down, running his fingers through his hair a couple more times before going to pull away, but Geoff grabbed his wrist and shot him a pleading look. Ryan wasn’t one to deny the older man, so he moved his hand back to continue running his fingers through his hair.

“What happened?” Ryan asked softly after a couple minutes, watching the older man carefully. Geoff tensed up at the questioning, blinking rapidly in a way that Ryan could almost say was to hold back tears.

“I was at a bar,” Geoff started, his shoulders starting to shake again. Ryan continued running his fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp, and he started to relax a bit again, “I wasn’t drinking, I just- I like the atmosphere.”

“I know,” Ryan said quietly when Geoff paused, gently encouraging him to continue.

“There was this girl,” Geoff continued, his voice tight, “Real pretty, the kind of girl that makes heads turn, and there was this guy who was hitting on her. She was nice, too. He was being an ass, but she just gave him a nice smile and told him, ‘Sorry, but I’m gay,’ before walking away. The guy was obviously pissed, but he walked away, so I figured that was it.”

“But it wasn’t,” Ryan said softly, and Geoff shook his head.

“No,” Geoff sounded choked up now, and Ryan wished there was something more he could do, “I saw her leave – alone. I don’t know why, I guess she was ready to go home but her friends weren’t. I saw the guy get up, though, and he followed her out. I was concerned, so I put the money I owed on the bar and followed _him_ out, and I…” Geoff trailed off, his voice breaking.

“It’s okay,” Ryan soothed, gently reaching out with his other hand to grab one of Geoff’s, squeezing it encouragingly. Geoff clutched it like a lifeline.

“They were in the alley next to the bar – he must have pulled her in,” Geoff continued, and Ryan could see what was coming, “He was- He was stabbing her in the stomach, saying all kinds of terrible things. A lot of homophobic things. I- I pulled out my gun and shot him, of course, a couple times in the stomach so he would suffer, but I was too late. I tried to stop the bleeding, I even called an ambulance. It was too late, though. I was too late, and I ran home with her blood all over me and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t- I didn’t know what to do.” Geoff’s breathing had sped up, and he was taking gasping breaths, looking like he was trying not to cry.

“Come on,” Ryan said gently, coaxing him out of the tub. He went easily, and Ryan wrapped his arms around him, ignoring the water, “It wasn’t your fault. You tried, and that bastard got what he deserved.”

Geoff buried his face in Ryan’s shoulder and didn’t say anything, so Ryan patted the back of his head before slowly pulling away.

“Here,” He said, handing the towel to Geoff, “I got some clothes for you, too. Put them on, okay?” He then made to go wait outside the bathroom, but Geoff caught his wrist.

“Don’t leave,” Geoff whispered, and Ryan had never heard the man sound so broken, so he nodded and instead turned around so Geoff would have some privacy.

Once Geoff was done getting dried off and dressed, Ryan led him back to his room, but Geoff hovered outside the door for a moment. Ryan pulled on a clean shirt before gesturing to his bed.

“Lie down,” Ryan said gently, “I don’t think you want to be alone.”

Geoff nodded jerkily, making his way slowly to the bed and crawling under the covers. Ryan followed him, sliding in on the other side and lying on his back. Geoff stayed on his side, curling in on himself and watching Ryan.

It was silent for a long time, and Ryan had started drifting off again by the time Geoff spoke.

“Are you ever scared?” Geoff asked, his voice a whisper, and it took Ryan a minute to figure out what he meant.

“I was, back in Georgia,” Ryan said slowly, “But not anymore. Back then… I was terrified to be who I was. Georgia isn’t the most accepting place, and I didn’t really know how to defend myself. Even if no one tried to hurt me, I would be an outcast. I know how to defend myself now, though – I can fight back, be who I am. I have you guys, and you’ve never made me feel like an outcast, even with my past.”

“I’m scared,” Geoff admitted quietly, letting out a bitter laugh, “Isn’t that fucking funny? The Kingpin of Los Santos scared of some bigoted assholes.”

“It’s not funny,” Ryan said gently, “Gavin, the Golden Boy, throws up at just the thought of wet bread. _That’s_ funny. Not being scared. Never being scared, no matter who you are.”

They fell into silence again, and when Ryan eventually glanced over, Geoff was asleep.

 

* * *

 

The fifth time, Ryan was able to let go for the first time in a long time. He and Geoff were sitting in the planning room late one night – it had to be past twelve, but they were planning for an important job that would happen the next night. They had had everything planned out over a week ago, but Geoff wanted to make sure they had everything covered, terrified that something might happen to one of the crew members.

It was going to be a hard job – something that had been building up for a long time. It wasn’t even really a job and they wouldn’t even be getting any pay for it, but it was easier to call it such then to call it for what it was. In truth, it was going to be a firefight against a crew that wasn’t as powerful as them but were much larger in terms of members.

The Fakes were calling in all their closest freelancers and contract workers – they needed as many people as they could get, but they needed to make sure it was people they could really trust. They still weren’t sure if it was enough, though, becau0se there were fewer people that they could fully trust than they would like.

The opposing gang was challenging the Fakes and had been steadily taking out their contacts. They were slowly making their way to the core of the crew, and they knew they had to put them in their place before they could hurt any more of their people. They knew they wouldn’t be able to take out _everyone_ , but they were aiming for as many higher ups as they could get. Getting their boss would be ideal, but what they really needed to do was scare the underlings away and weaken the gang, show them that they weren’t messing around and that _no one_ hurt any of their own.

It had to have been going on one in the morning when Geoff suddenly slammed his hands down on the table, standing up forcefully enough that his chair rolled and slammed into the wall behind him. Ryan looked up at him, startled.

“Let’s go for a drive,” Geoff said, looking Ryan in the eye, and the younger’s eyebrows knitted together.

“A drive?” Ryan repeated slowly, confused, but Geoff just looked determined.

“A drive.” Geoff confirmed before making his way out the door.

Ryan stared after him for a moment before shaking his head and getting to his feet. If Geoff wanted to go for a drive to relieve some stress, well, he wasn’t one to deny the older man.

He met Geoff at the elevator, the other man already inside, fidgeting impatiently. Once Ryan was in, he jabbed the button that would take them to the garage and repeatedly pressed the ‘close doors’ button until they slid closed and the elevator jolted into motion. They stood in silence until the reached the garage, stepping out of the elevator at the same time, their shoulders brushing.

Geoff shot Ryan a purposeful look, his eyes flicking between the younger man and the cars spread out in front of them. Realizing what Geoff was asking, Ryan grinned, snatching a key chain off the wall and making his way to his Zentorno – his go-to car, the one he felt most comfortable behind the wheel of, despite having newer, better cars now.

Geoff followed him without a word, easily sliding into the passenger seat of the car when Ryan unlocked it and ducked into the drivers seat himself.

“Where do you want to go?” Ryan asked, sliding the key into the ignition and twisting, glancing over at the older man as the engine started.

“Anywhere,” Geoff replied easily, his voice light and easy, but his fingers were still fidgeting, and his leg was shaking.

“Okay,” Ryan said, switching the gear to drive and pressing a button to open the garage as he pulled out of the parking spot.

They started off slow, cruising down the streets of Los Santos – still scattered with a decent number of other cars, despite the late hour. They slowly picked up speed as they approached the outskirts of the city, until they were going down a dark dirt road significantly faster than what was legal.

Geoff was grinning now, and so was Ryan as he took one hand off the wheel to quickly roll down the windows. The wind suddenly hitting his face was almost enough for him to lose control, but then Geoff was sliding glasses over his eyes – the kind all of their cars were stocked with in case they ever needed to stick their heads out to shoot while escaping after a job or heist, or even just one of their fun nights out.

“Thanks,” Ryan shouted over the wind, and hoped that Geoff heard him, but he didn’t look, not when he was concentrating on not crashing. He knew the roads he was speeding down well, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t miscalculating anything, or that nothing had changed since he had last driven down them. The roads twisted and turned, and anyone with even a little less experience than Ryan would have crashed by then, but Ryan had been doing this for years.

He eventually skidded to a stop after making a large, complicated circle and making it back to the street they started on, just on the edge of the dirt, the pavement in front of them lit by the occasional streetlight, leading back to the city.

Ryan finally took his eyes off the road to turn to face Geoff, only to find the other man already staring at him, his pupils blown and a large grin on his face.

“Where’d you learn to do _that_?” Geoff asked, his voice pitched high as he let out a slightly hysterical laugh. Ryan shot him a mischievous grin.

“Can’t go telling you all my secrets now, can I?” Ryan replied, and Geoff shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he grinned.

“Every time I think I’ve learned just about everything about you, you throw something new at me,” Geoff didn’t sound angry, or annoyed, just fond, and it caught Ryan off guard. He wasn’t sure how to reply, so he settled for changing the subject.

“So, was that enough driving for you?” Ryan asked, and Geoff looked up, meeting Ryan’s eyes again with a soft smile. Ryan pushed down the feelings that fluttered in his chest.

“Yeah,” Geoff replied, his voice dropping slightly, “Can we can stay for a while, though?”

It was a question, not an order or a demand. A question, leaving the choice completely up to Ryan. He wondered when Geoff had stopped giving him commands and started asking him questions – he thinks it would have been a moment he would remember, but he doesn’t. He also can’t remember the last time Geoff demanded something of him.

“Sure,” Ryan said, trying to keep his voice light, and it seemed to have worked because Geoff shot him a grateful grin before relaxing back into his seat and gazing out towards the city.

They were silent for a while. Geoff wasn’t fidgeting anymore, just staring out the windshield with a contemplative look on his face. Ryan watched him until he finally shifted in his seat, clearing his throat.

“When did you run away?” Geoff asked, quietly, and Ryan startled, not having expected that. He should have, though. Geoff had a lot of questions about Ryan having ran away. He thinks it’s because it’s something he and Geoff have in common, something none of the others can really relate to.

“When I was 15,” Ryan replied, keeping his voice as quiet as Geoff’s had been. It sounded like a secret, like they were having a private conversation they didn’t want anyone else to hear, even though they were alone, far away from anyone else who could hear them.

“That’s young,” Geoff said, breathing in deeply and letting out a long breath, “I was 17.”

“That’s pretty young, too,” Ryan shot back, and Geoff finally looked over at him again, something curious and searching in his eyes.

“When did you come to Los Santos?” Geoff asked, slowly, his eyes still locked with Ryan’s.

Ryan knows Geoff doesn’t know the answer, because he came to the city long before he donned his skull mask, long before he became the Vagabond.

“A couple months after I ran away,” He began, and Geoff watched him closely, “I was here for – what, 20 years? – before joining the crew.”

“What did you do that whole time?” Geoff asked, carefully, and Ryan shrugged.

“Lived a pretty normal life, really.” Ryan replied, “I found this bakery that let me work for them. It was run by this couple – two old ladies who had never been able to get a child of their own. They had taken me in after seeing me on the streets. I was kind of like the kid they had never had, and they let me stay on the couch in their apartment above the bakery. I was in charge of their online business – made them a website and managed it. They didn’t pay me in anything but a place to stay and food to eat, but they would buy me things if they saw I was interested in it. A lot of video games and the like.”

“Then what happened?” Geoff asked when he trailed off, and Ryan let out a sigh.

“They were old,” Ryan said, slowly, and Geoff tensed beside him, obviously knowing where he was going, “One of them, Belle, she went in her sleep. The other, Doreen, was heartbroken. She bought the apartment officially, told me I could stay as long as I wanted. Left me everything she had left. She just couldn’t live without Belle.”

“I’m sorry,” Geoff said quietly, but Ryan shrugged. He had had a long time to move on – he still appreciated everything they had done for them, but they were gone, and it wasn’t something Los Santos let you dwell on. He kept a picture of them in a box in the back of his closest, along with a few other things from his life before- well, before.

“I was almost 20 at that point, and I knew I couldn’t live off their money forever, so I looked for other things to do, tried to stay out of the life of crime,” Ryan picked up where he left off, “Saw this ad one day, looking for models. I wasn’t stupid, but I called anyway. Met up with them at their studio, and it was actually legit. They were appealing to the wealthy part of Los Santos, looking for attractive boys to show off their clothes.”

“You _modelled_?” Geoff asked, incredulous, but Ryan just flashed him a grin before continuing.

“Things were fine, I did stuff for them for about three years. They ended up going under, though, and the company that bought them up kept all their contracts, so I was stuck with the new company for another four months,” Ryan’s voice got quieter now, “They asked me to do a lot of things I wasn’t comfortable with. At first it wasn’t bad, but it kept progressing, and after two months I started fighting back. I put up such a fuss that they ended the contract early.”

Geoff raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything.

“I had enough money to live comfortably for a couple years, so I did. Started running out when I was 25, though,” Ryan hesitated before continuing, “I knew the city I lived in. I knew I couldn’t stay out of the life of crime for long. I didn’t want that to be _me_ , though, so I bought a mask and some guns and joined some small gang. They didn’t question the mask, just made me a runner. During that time, I practiced my aim, tested out every weapon I could get my hands on. Learned what I was good with. I even taught myself how to throw knives, and – as you know – that ended up being one of my strong points.

“Gang ended up going under, too, though. It wasn’t surprising, even to me. I knew even then that most gangs were short-lived here. The gang that took them down ‘offered’ everyone left a job, and I took it, obviously. I wasn’t stupid, I knew it wasn’t actually an offer. They took one look at me and made me one of the base’s guards. I spent a lot of time just standing outside, looking intimidating as people came and went, making deals

“That gang went down too. They were actually caught by the police, though. The ones who escaped capture scattered. I didn’t have enough money to last long on my own, so when I saw a crew looking for a mercenary, I offered myself. I was 28 at that point. I had killed before, but never for money. When I learned how much mercenary work paid, I started making a name for myself. It took two years for me to become well known, and, well, you know the rest.”

“That’s quite the story,” Geoff said after a few moments of silence, “A lot compared to mine.”

“What’s yours?” Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Joined the military about a year after running away. Did my service there until I was 25, then made my way to Texas.” Geoff let out a huff of laughter, “It’s kind of dumb, I ran away from Alabama but ended up right back in the South. Texas was different, though – or Austin was, at least. Anyway, I got a job at a tech support company, met Burnie, Gus, and Matt there. Joel was Matt’s roommate in University. We got this stupid idea of starting up a crew – Austin didn’t have one, but there were others in Texas. Somehow, we did it, and you know the rest.”

Ryan grinned at the way Geoff threw his words back at him.

“You’re right,” Ryan said, grinning, “Your story is pretty boring.”

“Shut up,” Geoff grumbled, slapping Ryan’s shoulder. The younger just laughed.

“Ready to go back, then?” Ryan asked after a few minutes, noticing the way Geoff’s eyes were drooping even more than usual.

“Yeah,” Geoff replied, smiling softly at Ryan. Ryan once again pushed down the fluttering in his chest and started the engine again, rolling up the windows most of the way before beginning the drive back to the penthouse.

The ride back was silent, aside from the music from the radio that Geoff turned on about halfway through.

They both stumbled through the door of the penthouse once they made it home, making their way tiredly to the rooms. Geoff caught Ryan’s arm before the younger could do more than push open the door to his room. Ryan turned to face Geoff, who had an unusually serious look on his face.

“I know we’ve planned as much as we can,” Geoff said, slowly, concern laced heavily in his voice, “But be careful tomorrow night, okay?”

Ryan nodded, unsure of what to say, and Geoff stared at him, his eyes scanning his face searchingly for a minute before shooting Ryan a smile and squeezing his wrist slightly before letting go and disappearing into his own room.

Ryan stood outside his door for a few more minutes, running the scene through his head repeatedly, trying to understand it, but he was tired and needed to sleep, so he pushed it to the back of his head and made his way into his room.

 

* * *

 

The sixth time, everything that could have gone wrong did. Ryan should have known something would go wrong. The gang was more prepared than they thought they would be. Geoff’s obsessiveness and meticulous planning had proven necessary, but even that wasn’t enough.

Ryan had been paired with a freelancer who used to work with Rooster Teeth – Meg Turney, better known as Doll. They had worked together a couple times and had become close friends, and when Meg had split from Rooster Teeth to do her own thing, they had stayed in contact.

He and Meg got on perfectly, they had each other’s backs and knew what the other was going to do before they even communicated or did it. In the beginning, they had been teamed up with Jeremy and Trevor, two other people Ryan worked well with, but they ended up getting split up at some point.

It had quickly become a firefight, which had been expected. What they _hadn’t_ expected was that there was going to be an impromptu business negotiation with another crew. The other crew had a sizable amount of men with them, and were much more skilled that the target gang and fought back with more force than the Fakes were prepared for.

They were holding their own, though, doing well enough that Trevor, Lindsay, and Geoff had all agreed to push on.

They took out most of the unexpected crew easy enough, and the remaining ran off, not wanting to be involved in a fight that wasn’t theirs. It had ruined their plan, though, because the target gang had had time to prepare for them while they focused on the unexpected crew. The higher ups had scattered, making themselves harder targets as they ordered the rest of the gang around, fighting back themselves.

Then there was a large explosion and the gunfire stopped for a moment.

“Check in!” Geoff shouted in the aftermath of the explosion, his voice piercing and crackling over the com in Ryan’s ear.

Ryan and Meg quickly sent out an affirmative that they were still good, as did the rest of the main crew and the Support Team. A couple guns-for-hire and freelancers didn’t respond. The crew fought on, returned to the firefight as soon as their ears stopped ringing and the opposing gang started up their gunfire again.

Ryan tuned out the steady stream of orders being shouted over the coms, a mix of Geoff, Trevor, and Lindsay. He had worked with the crew more than long enough to learn to only tune in when he heard his name.

“Vagabond, Doll,” Came the sharp voice of Trevor in his ear, cutting through the gunfire, “We need you to go after Shadow. We’ve got the other main targets cornered, but he’s run off somewhere in the back. Last we saw of him he was disappearing through the back right door. It’s white, at about 3 o’clock from our entrance point. Shouldn’t be too hard to identify. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if you go through the wrong one.”

“Got it,” Ryan said after getting a nod from Meg.

 “Doll,” Ryan called, careful not to use her real name where anyone could hear. Meg quickly made her way back towards him, not stopping her gunfire until they were both ducked behind some crates. Not the safest hiding spot, but good enough. “I’m going to go alone. I’ll leave my jacket and mask behind. Hopefully I can blend in well enough that no one will shoot me – I going to try not to fire, so I need you to cover my back.”

Meg hesitated for a moment, before nodding, “I don’t like how dangerous the plan is, but it’s the best we’re going to get on such short notice. I’ve got your back, V.”

“Thank you,” Ryan breathed, and Meg smiled at him.

“Just be safe,” She said sternly, “I’ll try to come after you as soon as I can.”

Ryan nodded quickly before pulling off his signature mask and jacket. He felt bare without them, but it was what needed to be done. He double checked that he still had a revolver strapped to his ankle before sticking a pistol into his waistband and picking up his machine gun.

He paused a moment, giving Meg a nod, which she returned immediately, a determined look settling on both of their faces. With that, Ryan was gone, slipping through the warehouse along the edge, sliding against the wall, trying to hide in the shadows. He hoped he looked enough like a scared gang member trying to escape that no one would bother him much.

“What the hell are you going, Vagabond?” Geoff’s voice suddenly shouted in his ear, and Ryan flinched. He knew that the rest of crew wouldn’t like his plan, but he didn’t have enough time to convince them that it was what needed to be done.

“My job.” Ryan replied back flatly before promptly tuning out the com and focusing on what he was doing.

Once he reached the back of the warehouse, he quickly made his way up the stairs, glancing at the place they entered from and determining where 3 o’clock was. His eyes scanned the area before he rushed at the white door he hoped was the right one. It was locked but made of wood, and Ryan was filled with enough adrenaline that he was able to force it open with his shoulder quickly enough. It would leave a bruise, but Ryan’s main concern at the moment was the mission – he would have time to focus on injuries later.

Once he made it in, he closed the door behind him. There was nothing for it to latch on to anymore, but he was able to close it enough that no one would be able to see him from the main floor.

“You got the right door, Vagabond,” Trevor’s voice came through, easy as ever, and Ryan was glad that he wasn’t going to let emotion take control. He never did. That was one of the many reasons Geoff had agreed with Lindsay’s decision to let him take over when she wanted to take a step back.

The door had led into a hallway, and Ryan scanned it before making his way quietly towards the nearest room. The door was open, and Ryan paused beside it, pressing up against the wall and listening for any sounds coming from the room.

He didn’t hear anything, but still needed to be sure, so he glanced down the hall again, listening for any footsteps. When he didn’t hear any, he took a quiet breath and turned quickly into the room, immediately scanning for anyone. He found it empty at first glance, but did a lap around the room, looking behind furniture to make sure there was no one hiding.

There were two more doors most likely leading to rooms in the hallway, along with a metal one at the end of the hall that Ryan was willing to bet led outside. He wanted to curse but held it back. There was no guarantee that Shadow had slipped outside – he could hear faint noise coming from the last room in the hall. He hoped there had been something that held Shadow back.

“I’m coming now, V,” Meg’s voice cut through during a lull in the orders flooding through the coms, “The rest of the crew’s got the other targets. Shadow’s the only one left. You got sights on him yet?”

Ryan couldn’t answer, worried his voice would reveal his presence, so instead he used the feature that Matt had installed in their coms – a small button that would send out a beep over the coms. They had quickly established that one beep meant yes, and two meant no. Three meant help, but it had yet to be used. Ryan hoped that it never would be.

Ryan sent two beeps out before tuning out the coms once more.

After quickly checking the second room in the hall, and determining it clear, he prepared to enter the final one. The noises in the room had gotten louder – shuffling accompanied by thumps and muffled, whispered voices. The door was closed, which meant that Ryan would have to be especially careful.

It sounded like there were only two voices, but Ryan couldn’t dismiss the potential of there being more.

He quickly thought out a plan, and knew it wasn’t a good one, not as well thought out as he would have liked, but it was all he had. He knew it was only a matter of time before someone else made their way into the hallway, and he needed to get into the room while they were still cornered. He knew that the door opening would alert them, so he made the decision to kick it open. It didn’t look reinforced – just the normal wood and cardboard you would find in someone’s home.

Ryan took a deep breath.

“Doll,” He whispered, “I’m about to do something really stupid, so you better be close.”

“I’m almost there,” Meg replied immediately, her voice higher pitched than before, worried but not letting that take control.

“ _Ryan_ -” Geoff’s voice cut through, but Ryan turned his com on silent. He didn’t turn it off, just made sure there wouldn’t be any distractions. What he was about to do really was stupid.

He moved so he was facing the door, checking the safety was off on his gun and that it was loaded and not jammed before squaring his shoulders.

 _Here goes nothing_ , he though before slamming his foot against the door, glad he had chosen to wear steel-toed boots. They weren’t the best when it came to movement, but they were great for kicking down doors.

Immediately upon the door opening, his eyes zeroed in on someone standing directly across the room. Before they could react by doing any more than whipping around to see what happened to the door, he was pumping bullets into them. They fell to the ground with a splatter of blood, and Ryan turned his attention to the next person in the room.

 _Shadow_ , Ryan identified based off the pictures he had seen during all the briefing.

The other man had a pistol pointed at Ryan’s head, but his hand was shaking. Ryan took a step forward.

“You’re not going to shoot,” Ryan said, his voice dropping dangerously low. A challenge.

“Yeah?” Shadow asked, his eyes narrowing as he moved to point the gun at Ryan’s chest. The moment he did, Ryan aimed at his head, his reflexes quicker than the other man’s.

They fired at the same time, and Ryan felt two bullets imbed themselves in his torso, and another graze his left arm.

Ryan’s bullets held true to his aim and tore through Shadow’s skull.

He fell to his knees, hand trembling as he reached up, pressing a button on his com, unmuting it, before pressing another three times. Ryan heard his beeps go through before collapsing.

“Who was that?” He heard Geoff demand, voice high and panicked, but Ryan’s head was pounding, feeling like there was pressure building up inside his skull. He couldn’t answer, but the next thing he knew there were familiar feet rushing towards him.

“Ryan’s been shot!” Meg’s voice rang out, echoing in his ear as he heard it both in real time and over the coms. Her voice was filled with fear, and she must have been terrified to have used his real name. He wished he could reassure her.

“Where is he?” A voice asked, but Ryan could feel himself slipping, unable to decipher who was speaking.

“Through the door Shadow was last seen going through, last door on the left. Shadow’s been taken out.” Meg said quickly, before kneeling next to Ryan and slapping him hard across the face. That brought him back a little, “Sorry, Ry, but you need to stay awake.” She pressed her hands against the bullet wound on his chest. It still hurt, and that was a good sign.

“Ryan, I’m coming,” Geoff’s voice rang through his head, and it took him a moment to remember the com in his ear, “Don’t you dare die on me. I need you.”

Ryan tried to open his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a gurgle and he felt like he was choking.

“Larry, there’s a door leading outside next to us. If you can find it, we need evac as soon as possible.” Meg said, her voice frantic, “Send anyone you can. It’s really bad.”

“Ryan, I love you,” Geoff’s voice echoed through his head again, and Ryan wanted to laugh, because of course Geoff would confess that when Ryan’s dying – and people call Ryan dramatic. He sounded distraught, “Please don’t leave me. You told me you weren’t going to run away. You told me you were going to stay. You’re the Mad Mercenary, not the Vagabond. You’re not allowed to leave. This isn’t Georgia.”

Ryan wanted to tell Geoff that it wasn’t like he exactly had a choice at the moment, but his world went black before he could. 

 

* * *

 

The seventh time, Ryan waited. It was 3 weeks after Ryan had gotten shot. The crew was out at the top of Mount Chiliad, blasting music and setting off fireworks as they drank and laughed. There wasn’t really any reason for it – they were just happy and had free time, and Larry had finally agreed to let Ryan leave the penthouse.

It had taken almost a week for Ryan’s blood pressure to rise enough for him to wake up. Larry told him that they almost didn’t have enough blood to make up for all that he lost, and they had to get Michael and Trevor, who were the only ones with a blood type compatible with Ryan’s, to donate some. They hadn’t ended up using much of the donated blood, but they had wanted to be safe rather than sorry.

Larry had let him go after three more days, giving him a bottle of painkillers and telling him to change the bandages regularly and keep the wounds clean. He also told him he wasn’t allowed to leave the penthouse until his wounds healed and enough of his red blood cells had replaced themselves.

Ryan _felt_ fine, but Larry demanded bed rest, and Ryan wasn’t one to cross the other man – not when he held his life in his hands. Ryan trusted Larry, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t careful around him. There was just something shifty about him.

Larry had finally let Ryan out, though, and now he was sitting in the dirt, leaning against a rock to keep himself propped up as he stared up at the fireworks being set off by the Lads.

Jack had vanished somewhere off in the darkness a while ago with Lindsay and Trevor, and Ryan wasn’t sure he wanted to know what they were doing.

Geoff, however, was sitting beside Ryan. They were both sipping cans of Diet Coke, watching the Lads mess around in silence.

They hadn’t talked about the things Geoff had said to Ryan when he was shot. Geoff had been there when he woke up and had helped change his bandages more than enough times _and_ was near constantly fussing over him as he healed, but their conversations stayed the same as before. There was a tension between them, though, one that neither could deny.

Ryan was waiting for Geoff to bring it up, which might seem childish, but it was Geoff’s confession – one made in the heat of the moment. He didn’t want to be the one to bring it up and force Geoff to talk about it when he wasn’t ready. No, Ryan was fine with waiting. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but it had only been three weeks, which wasn’t all that long in the grand scheme of things. They would have time.

“How much do you want to bet one of the Lads are going to hurt themselves?” Ryan broke the silence he and Geoff had been sitting in, turning towards the older man and raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing, because that’s inevitable,” Geoff snorted, turning his head to look at Ryan, “I’m not going to let you cheat me out of my money.”

“Hey,” Ryan said, grinning, “You never know – they have to be able to do _something_ together that doesn’t result in injury.”

“Yeah,” Geoff huffed, “And setting off fireworks isn’t that thing.”

Ryan laughed, and Geoff joined him, and they watched as more fireworks were set off.

Jack, Lindsay, and Trevor returned at some point, dragging the Support Team behind them, but Ryan lost track of time, content sitting up high with the crew.

“Hey, Ryan?” Geoff’s voice was soft, almost a whisper, and Ryan turned his head to look at him again, raising an eyebrow. Geoff was staring resolutely in front of him, “I don’t know if you remember, but I meant what I said when you got shot.”

“I remember,” Ryan said, his voice just as soft as Geoff’s, and the older man finally looked at him again.

“Yeah?” Geoff asked, something unsure in his voice, and Ryan smiled, clambering to his feet, gesturing for Geoff to do the same.

Once they were both standing, Ryan led Geoff away from the rest of the crew, picking his route carefully to avoid aggravating anything. The actual entry point of the bullets that hit his torso had scarred over, though the scars were still red and raised and sensitive to touch, but his muscles were weaker than normal from weeks of bedrest and he didn’t want to pull anything and give Larry a reason to put him back on bedrest.

They made it to Ryan’s destination in about five minutes and Geoff frowned when he saw it.

“You’re not going to push me off, right?” Geoff asked gesturing at the steep cliff in front of them, and though he was joking Ryan could detect a hint of uncertainty. Ryan chuckled.

“Not unless you give me a reason to.” Ryan replied, flashing Geoff a mischievous grin before stepping forward and sitting down carefully on the edge of the cliff with his legs dangling. When Geoff hesitated, he patting the ground next to him, giving Geoff a pointed look.

The older man let out a huff before carefully – even more so than Ryan – lowering himself next to the younger man. He kept his legs crossed on the cliff’s edge, but Ryan didn’t comment. After a few minutes, Geoff shifted to let his legs dangle as well, and Ryan bit back a grin.

After a few more minutes of them staring out at the darkness in front of them, Geoff broke the silence.

“Are you… going to say anything?” Geoff asked.

“How do I know you won’t run away?” Ryan questioned eventually, and saw Geoff frown out of the corner of his eye, “You asked me that, months ago. Not as directly, but you weren’t exactly subtle.”

There was silence for a few minutes, and Ryan didn’t push, just waited.

“You don’t,” Geoff replied eventually, his voice slow and careful, “Just like I don’t _really_ know you won’t. You have to trust me, though. I ran away from Alabama, and you could probably say I ran away from Texas, too. I can’t tell you I won’t run away just because I built this crew, just because I left Rooster Teeth to build my place in this city. I built something amazing here, though – more than I could have ever hoped. It sounds fuckin’ cheesy as dicks but I built a family, and if I leave, I’m not going to being running away. If I leave, I’m not going to go alone.”

“Okay,” Ryan said, nodding, and Geoff relaxed against beside them. Their shoulders were pressed together, and Ryan leaned a little closer, “I wouldn’t go alone, either. Not anymore. I don’t really plan on running away, though. Once was enough for me.”

They sit in silence for a few more minutes, before Geoff’s fingers begin to twitch.

“You still haven’t answered,” Geoff pointed out, his voice deliberately even, but Ryan knew he was anything but put together by that point.

“You still haven’t asked anything,” Ryan shot back, biting back a grin when Geoff let out an affronted huff, because he knew he was being difficult, but Geoff already knew he was a difficult person to deal with. Ryan was willing to bet that was one of the reasons he loved him.

“Do you love me?” Geoff asked, and Ryan wasn’t looking, but he could almost hear him roll his eyes. Geoff knew him well enough to know that the teasing was essentially an answer in itself.

“Yes,” Ryan replied easily, looking over at Geoff to find to older man smiling softly at him.

“What does this mean, then?” Geoff asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ryan shifted, leaning closer to Geoff before pressing their lips together. He pulled away after a moment, pressing their foreheads together before answering the older man’s question.

“It means we’re done running.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is... not my best work but whatever. I've had it sitting around for months and finally decided to just fuck it and post it. Let me know if there are any mistakes because it's 3am and I'm too tired to try to edit it any more than I already have.
> 
> I really wanted Geoff to be the one to get shot at the end but I just. Couldn't make it work.
> 
> ALSO, if anyone cares I'm working on a sequel for my other story, I just want to edit the first one before I post anything else bc turns out writing and editing things at 4am leads to a lot of mistakes and I want to clean it up before I post the sequel. I just need to get my shit together enough to actually do it.


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